Danny Dolor presents ‘Atang de la Rama: Superstar for all time’

The glitz and glamour of the entertainment world of yesteryear comes to life again when Tribung Pilipino Cultural Foundation honors the late National Artist Honorata "Atang" de la Rama on the occasion of her 100 birth anniversary.

Handog Kay Atang, to be held at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino on Jan. 10 at 4:30 p.m., promises to be an unforgettable presentation as coloratura soprano Ma. Rachelle Gerodias takes the spotlight with her rendition of songs popularized by Ka Atang and the hits of that glorious era when genuine talent reigned supreme in the Philippine entertainment world.

Rachelle, of course, will not be alone in rekindling the splendor of antebellum Philippines. Two equally young and renowned artists, soprano Liza Cabahug and tenor Lemuel de la Cruz, join her on center stage, to the accompaniment of ever-reliable pianist Julie Mendoza.

Nationalist art patron Danny Dolor, the foundation’s founder and president, says this is "more than a tribute to a great artist who gave the Filipino audience unmatched and truly superb performances during the pre-war years, when zarzuela and vaudeville were the prime sources of entertainment, since we at the Tribung Pilipino Foundation consider Ka Atang a dear friend who, in the latter years of her life, inspired us to be true to our mission to promote traditional Filipino music."

Danny recalls the moments "Ka Atang shared with us when we had the distinct privilege of bringing her back to the stage when the Tribung Pinoy gave a concert in her honor at the CCP in 1979. She had been more than generous with her time and stories of her triumphs, but she truly surprised us when she herself rendered her signature songs Bituing Marikit from the zarzuela Dakilang Punlo and Nabasag ang Banga from Dalagang Bukid."

The audience for the centennial concert, including Manila’s public school students chosen for their promising musical abilities, will no doubt experience a different cultural fare, when Rachelle and company sing for them immortal favorites like Madaling Araw, Ibong Sawi, Dalagang Pilipina, Mutya ng Pasig, and Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran.

Atang de la Rama was an exceptional prodigy who, at age 14, became the star of Hermogenes Ilagan’s zarzuela, Dalagang Bukid, which had unprecedented 724 performances. Her initial triumph was followed by such hits as the ever-popular Ang Kiri, Punyal Ni Rosa, Alamat Ng Nayon, Bulaklak ng Kabundukan and Paglipas Ng Dilim. She appeared in four operettas that she herself wrote and 20 others written by Leon Ignacio, Hermogenes Ilagan, Servando de los Angeles, Precioso Palma, Remigio Mat Castro, Julia Balmaceda and Jose Ma. Rivera.

Atang’s artistic career was unique in that she transcended various artistic forms and media including the zarzuela, stage show, vaudeville, radio and cinema. For the first Filipino silent movie, Dalagang Bukid, produced by Jose Nepomuceno, Atang was, not surprisingly, chosen to play the lead. After World War II, Atang sang in radio programs and even hosted her own show. In her twilight years, she appeared on television documentaries on Philippine music, and gave lectures to young scholars and artists on the topic closest to her heart – Philippine traditional music especially the kundiman.

In an exclusive interview in 1979, Ka Atang spoke of spending all her life "singing the kundiman, one of our most beautiful art forms, and I would like to spend the rest of my life propagating it."

In the interview, she noted that "other musical forms may have hogged the limelight away from our native music, but I will always defend the kundiman. What have they done to it? Filipinos have forgotten it, taken it for granted, and have even tampered with its pristine beauty by altering its essence and claiming these to be kundimans."

"The kundiman," she emphasized, "has an inherent lilting quality, just like the ones created by Abelardo, Ignacio, Abdon and Hernandez. When you listen to it, you can hear the zephyrs whispering, see the waters rippling, and feel the mountain breezes blowing. That is the kundiman."

"We are lucky to have such beautiful music, unlike other countries which have only their national anthems to call their own. I would not like to see the day when we would be weeping and writing a requiem to the kundiman," Ka Atang concluded with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"No doubt, Honorata "Atang" de la Rama, queen of zarzuela and kundiman, enriched the Filipino nation not only with her singing, but also with her words of wisdom that continue to be relevant and significant in the 21st century, even as we celebrate her birth centennial," states Danny Dolor.